


Star Crossed

by 3ds_Allen



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, OOC, Self indulgent generals being close with Lotor content, The non-con isn't between Keith and Lotor, This thing is stuffed with weak headcanons, VERY not canon compliant, i want them to all be friends okay, let's see, narti is there, the team Loves and Values Keith, there will be a warning on that chapter just in case
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-03-26 13:45:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 22,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13858995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3ds_Allen/pseuds/3ds_Allen
Summary: Lotor saves Keith after an accident, they get closer over time.or, "There's not enough happy, loving Keitor, and I need to fix that"





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was written after season four and was supposed to be canon compliant but it's just... not. Instead it's a heap of self indulgent fic for my two favorite boys.

Keith had gotten himself into this situation. It was a bad idea overall, leave the castle by himself, not tell anyone where he was going, fly to an unfamiliar planet, do so with a pod rather than taking the black lion. He didn't leave with any plans in mind, if anything he just felt like it would clear his mind if he went for a short flight. He didn't expect to ultimately be dragged down by the planet's atmosphere.

He knew he was going to crash but he tried everything he could to at least slow down as much as possible, he was going to be pissed if he died on some unknown planet in the middle of nowhere. When he later woke up he would be pleased to know that he did not die, however the impact did knock him unconscious.

* * *

 

When he woke up he wasn't sure where he was, or even how he survived. The purple lights in the room were dim, which was good because his head was killing him. He found his wrists were handcuffed together in front of him which was more than a little worrying. He finally sat up, his whole body aching as he did so, and looked around. The room was barren aside from the "bed" he was laying on, if the hard metal slab attached to the wall could be called that. He found that he had been stripped of his paladin armor, left only in the black under suit. He swung his legs over the side and started to stand up, but as soon as he put any weight on his left leg he immediately collapsed, trying to catch himself with his bound hands.

He managed to not smash his face on to the floor and carefully got back up on the bed. Looking over his arms it seemed as if his armor had protected them from too much damage, the same could not be said for his side however. There was a large tear in the suit, and it looked like someone had done some work to stitch up a gash on his side. It hurt when he breathed too deeply. If not for the fact he was handcuffed he wouldn't have been as worried as he was.

When the door to the cell slid open he jumped to his feet out of instinct, which he instantly regretted as he collapsed, unable to catch himself this time.

"Careful now Paladin." An unfortunately familiar voice said. Keith's whole body went tense, he looked up at the Galra prince, already glaring. The prince approached him and helped him up, letting him sit down again. "I don't know why you continue to glare at me like that, I haven't done anything to harm you."

"Then why am I restrained?" He asked, holding his hands up. "That doesn't exactly put me at ease."

"I may have saved your life but we're still enemies."

"Then... why did you save me?" Keith wouldn't say he was entirely ungrateful, but it did confuse him. Lotor reached up and roughly grabbed his chin, looking him over, tilting his head.

"If I'm being honest with you I don't know myself. You're a hideous thing, and I don't have much use for you now, but maybe I can find one. After all, Voltron needs all five of it's Paladins."

For a moment he considered telling him, no, they didn't need him, Voltron had five Paladins and he wasn't one of them anymore. But if it would get Lotor to eventually let him go, he would let him believe whatever he wanted. They may not need him, but that doesn't mean they would just leave him to die. Right?

He sighed and tried to pull away from him.

"Fine, whatever."

"Whatever?" The prince looked confused, if not slightly irritated.

"Yeah, whatever." Keith shrugged. "They'll come for me, I can wait it out."

"You... you're just going to accept this? I thought you would be the one to put up a serious fight!" Keith shrugged again.

"Sorry to disappoint you." Lotor seemed more than a little frustrated by this.

"Well. I suppose I'll just leave you then." He said. He turned around, exactly like Keith wanted. Like hell he was going to take this without a fight. He may not have been able to fight the way he preferred but any little bit of resistance would do. As soon as the prince had his back to him Keith was on his feet, or, at least managing to stand on his unhurt leg. Lotor hadn't even noticed he stood up until suddenly Keith's arms were around his neck. It was significantly harder to get him off when his wrists were literally locked together, but once he did, Keith found himself tossed over the prince's shoulder as if he weighed nothing. He probably did to Lotor.

He hit the floor hard, his breath knocked out of him. Before he could try to get up Lotor had his foot on his chest, effectively holding him down. When he leaned down, putting all his weight on that foot, Keith found himself struggling to breathe. The prince grinned at him.

"There's the fight I was looking for. It seems even an injured leg isn't enough to keep you down. I like that." He said. Keith struggled to squirm away or push Lotor off him, ignoring him entirely. When Lotor finally did move his foot away, it was only to deliver a swift kick to his side. Keith thanked every god there was that it wasn't his injured side. He struggled to get up before he could kick him again, and the prince just smiled as he attempted to hold himself up.

"You're really dumb if you really thought I would just sit here and take it." He told him.

"You put on a good act, Paladin. It's a shame you're injured, you have a serious disadvantage." He gave his shoulder a hard shove and that was all it took to get Keith on his knees, unable to hold himself up. "I won't tease you any longer." He said, an amused smile on his face. "I'll return later to check on you, that gash in your side still poses a risk to your health."

"You don't make any sense." Keith said, frustrated now.

"Well, if I need to use you to get whatever I want, I'm sure it would be preferred that you  _aren't_  slowly and painfully dying from an infected wound." Well. He did have a point. "Try to rest, I'm sure you're in quite a bit of pain." The prince told him, before turning and leaving Keith there by himself.

* * *

 

Keith tried everything he could to find a way out. Much to his displeasure, the room was very secure. He managed to drag himself back to the bed and lay down, in even more pain than before. As soon as his leg healed he was going to tear out Lotor's throat with his  _teeth_  if he had to.

He made an attempt to fall asleep. He thought a nap would help his head, but for someone who was used to sleeping in unconventional places, he found it impossible to fall asleep here. It was cold, unsettling, he was at the mercy of their enemy after all. He didn't like the fact he would ultimately be used as a bargaining tool if they didn't find him soon enough. He seriously regretted not telling anyone where he'd gone.

It was probably hours before Lotor returned. Keith was laying on his side, facing the wall, he didn't even bother turning around when the door opened. He had planned on just ignoring the prince, but that failed when he was suddenly jabbed in his side, causing him to almost scream in pain. The prince immediately yanked his hand back and Keith quickly sat up.

"What did you do that for?!" He yelled.

"I was only checking to see if you were awake." The prince told him, sounding offended by Keith's anger.

"You didn't need to try sticking your finger in an open wound!" He snapped. "Do it again and I swear I'll-"

"You'll what?" The prince smiled, leaning down in front of him. "Need I remind you that not only are your wrists handcuffed together, but you're also physically incapable of even holding yourself up. You have no armor, weapons, even friends here to help you. As far as it goes, I'm the only one you can rely on now."

Out of pure frustration, Keith suddenly reached up, grabbed fistfuls of Lotor's hair, and yanked as hard as he could, pulling the prince closer to him.

"I would rather die here than rely on you." He hissed. His grip was weak,  _he_  was weak, but it felt better than just giving in and accepting that he needed help, and he could only get it from Lotor. The prince smirked and easily pried his hands from his hair. With a yank, he pulled the cuffs apart, and for a moment Keith thought he might be taking them off, but instead he wrenched his hands behind his back, causing Keith to have to twist awkwardly. It wasn't doing any favors for his side. Lotor only let go of him when his hands were secured behind his back.

The prince smiled and patted his head, a gesture that pissed Keith off more than anything.

"You need to save your energy, you should be resting you know." He said.

"Stop talking as if you care about me or something." Keith told him. "It's incredibly irritating." The prince tangled his fingers in his hair, enough for it to start to hurt.

"Listen, your options are either fake mercy, or straightforward cruelty. I don't want to return you a mangled mess, but I need you to cooperate with me for the time being."

"And if I choose not to?" Keith raised an eyebrow.

"Then there's a good chance I will be sending you back to your friends as a corpse."


	2. Chapter 2

Keith didn't expect either group between Voltron and the blade to be wasting time searching for him, but as time ticked on, he couldn't help but feel the disappointment set in. Lotor came in multiple times a day, usually to check on the wound on his side. The pain had yet to cease, and Lotor had offered whatever aliens had for painkillers, but Keith didn't trust it so he denied them. He would've preferred being offered food over any kind of pain meds, he hadn't eaten once since he'd been there and he was starting to feel it's effect.

When Lotor came in that- what he assumed was- morning, Keith slowly sat up, wincing as he did so. If anything, the pain had been getting worse.

"How many days has it been?" He asked, looking up at him.

"It's been eight quintants now." Lotor told him. "Why do you ask?"

"I... I'd just hoped to be out of here by now." He murmured more to himself. He knew they were busy back at the castle, and he wouldn't  _want_  them to take time to search for him, and as for the blade of Marmora, once they lost a member that person was as good as gone. He understood that, and he didn't believe he was truly worth spending too much time on, but it still hurt and scared him that he didn't know if he would get any help escaping this place.

"Yes, I didn't think it would take this long either." Lotor said as he approached him. "Are you still in pain, Paladin?" He asked.

"I'm in a lot of pain. Lotor, I don't know how often Galra eat, but I kind of need to eat. Often."

"I know that. I started to wonder how long you can last without food."

"Three weeks, next question." Keith laid back down, having to lay awkwardly on his side seeing as his arms were trapped behind him.

"What- how do you-"

"Experience. Next question."

"Why did you-"

"Enough questions." Keith didn't necessarily want to delve into his poor treatment of himself, much less to the Galra Prince of all people. He looked up at the confused prince and asked, "Can I just get some food?"

"... I suppose." He told Keith he'd be back before leaving the room. Keith sat up while he was gone, his legs dangling over the side of the bed. When Lotor came back with a tray of not very appetizing alien food, they both seemed to realize something at the same time.

Keith didn't exactly have any method of feeding himself. Neither of them would be able to bear it if Lotor was to straight up feed him. They stared at each other for a long while before Lotor finally gave in, setting the tray down and unlocking the cuffs from each other. He expected Keith to immediately attack him but he seemed far more interested in the food, quickly picking up the tray so he could eat. He must've been  _really_  hungry.

And then he finished eating- at a speed that actually impressed Lotor no less. He set the tray aside, sat there silently for a few moments, and then he was on his feet, lunging at Lotor. By now the pain in his leg wasn't so excruciating, only a dull ache that left him limping. It allowed him enough mobility to try and attack though. Lotor expected this though and easily side stepped him, causing him to stumble, losing his balance. Lotor caught him before he fell, grabbing his arm and yanking him back. He was expecting the usual attitude he got from him, but instead Keith just looked up at him with a tired grin.

"It was worth a try." He said, before falling unconscious right there, Lotor still holding him up by his arm. He knew he couldn't get the paladin to willingly take the medicine for his injury, and to be honest, he didn't blame him for not trusting it. But when all was said and done, it would only help him, Lotor had no intentions of hurting him when he'd offered it the first time. If he had to sneak it into his food to get him to take it, then so be it.

He picked him up with ease and laid him down again, laying him on his stomach so he could restrain his wrists again. He liked him a lot more when he wasn't snapping at him and trying to attack him. He was a strange thing, that's for sure, but Lotor felt like he was almost becoming... fond of him. Fond of him the way a child becomes fond of a pet. Once he made sure his wrists were secured, he took the tray and left Keith there until he had time to come back later that day.

* * *

 

When Keith woke up he was so, so confused. He remembered finally eating, trying to attack Lotor, and then passing out. He came to the conclusion that Lotor had either knocked him out when he attacked, or had slipped something into his food. Either way it pissed him off and once he was fully awake he hopped off that bed and went over to the door, harshly kicking it repeatedly. There had to be a camera or  _something_  in that cell.

"Lotor! What the hell did you do to me?!" He yelled. He kept kicking and yelling until finally the door slid open and he narrowly avoided kicking the prince in the shin.

"There is absolutely no need to be making that much noise." The prince said, clearly irritated with him. He grabbed his shoulder and roughly pulled him farther back into the cell.

"You put something in the food, didn't you?!" He snapped.

"Would you please calm down. I only gave you what would help you, nothing more." He said. "You're side, does it still hurt?" He asked. Keith stopped being pissed off for one moment to realize that it in fact, did not hurt anymore.

"I don't care what it did, I don't exactly appreciate being drugged without knowing about it."

"But now you know what it can do to help you. Will you take it willingly from now on?" He asked. Keith had to think it over. He didn't like accepting anything from the prince now, but he sure did like not being in so much pain. Finally, he sighed.

"Fine. But from now on if you want me to take something you better tell me what it is first, ok?" He said seriously.

"Of course." The prince said. "On the condition that you refrain from attacking me if I free you from your restraints."

"You suck, Lotor. Fine." He huffed.

"I'm glad we could come to an agreement." The prince smiled and finally released him from the cuffs for good. Keith rubbed his wrists, relieved to finally have some sense of control back. He looked up at him, rather reluctantly thanking him. "It's refreshing to not have you trying to attack me."

"I could say the same to you." Keith sighed, sitting down on the bed.

"Excuse me, I haven't tried to kill you  _once_  since you've been here!" Lotor sounded vaguely offended. Keith laughed.

"I know, and it's refreshing. Too bad you had to be a dick before, and you're probably going to continue to be a dick once I'm out of here."

"Are all humans as crude as you are?" Lotor asked, crossing his arms.

"What, you think me calling you a dick is bad? You should hear the things Lance comes up with. The last time Shiro warned us a mission was going to be "long and hard", the dude wouldn't shut up!"

"I- I don't even want you to explain that to me." The prince shuddered. Keith snickered.

"Just think, I have to  _live_  with that."

"Are you sure I'm not doing you a service by keeping you here?"

"I think I would rather take listening to him playing video games at top volume late at night than the awful silence of this place."

"I thought you hated- what did you say his name was? Lance?"

"I don't  _hate_  him, he's just... annoying." He shrugged. "Not as infuriating as you are, and I guess he's not all bad, just annoying sometimes. He's got this whole made up "rivalry" thing going on between us and I don't really get it, but he hasn't given up on it yet."

"Well, he sounds... interesting."

"That's the nice way of putting it." He snickered. "He's tolerable at best, frustrating at worst."

"And I'm infuriating?" Lotor asked, trying to make sure he got Keith's opinions correct.

"Pretty much." Keith nodded, leaning back and crossing his arms.

"Do you enjoy the company of any other person?"

"Sometimes. I definitely wouldn't enjoy your company though."

"I suppose that's fair enough." Lotor shrugged. Before Keith could make a comment back, the door slid open and they both turned their attention to where one of his generals, Axca, was waiting.

"Prince Lotor, you're needed on the bridge." She said, barely sparing a glance at Keith. Lotor assured her he would be right there and looked back at Keith.

"I'll leave you for now, but please make sure you avoid moving around so you don't further injure yourself." He told him. Keith gave him and understanding nod, and Lotor left with Axca. Keith couldn't help but find it strange how the prince seemed to... care about him. He seemed much more gentle than he had before, as if he was genuinely worried about how he was doing. It was strange, and Keith wasn't quite sure if he liked it or not.


	3. Chapter 3

Back on the castle, Lance was sitting in the control room with the others. They were all tired, having not had much time to rest between dealing with the Galra but also searching for Keith. When he suddenly sneezed, Pidge said from across the room,

"You know, when you sneeze it means someone's talking about you." Well, she didn't so much say it as she did tiredly mumble it. He sneezed again before he could reply and she said, "Two sneezes means it's something negative."

"If Keith is off somewhere gossiping about me I'm going to be pissed." Lance said drily. "If he is, I'll kill him when we find him."

"Why do you think he left in the first place?" Hunk asked. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Does anything Keith does make sense?" Lance sat up and yawned. He was seriously struggling to stay awake, but didn't dare complain, he knew the others were just as tired as him by now. "Was he running away? Did he got lost? Did someone capture him? Who knows. We sure don't!" He threw his hands up in exasperation. Shiro finally turned to face them, clearly equally tired.

"Why don't you guys get some rest?" He said. "We've all been up long enough." Really, Shiro just didn't want to spend the night listening to their delirious arguing.

"What about you? You're just as tired as we are." Pidge said as she got up.

"I'm fine, I'll get some sleep later." He told them. They took one look at the dead tired look on his face and knew they couldn't bother arguing. They all said goodnight before leaving him alone with Allura and Coran.

He'd been spending every free moment they had searching for Keith. It reminded them too much of Keith, he'd been the same way when Shiro was missing. So far all they knew is one of the pods had gone missing, and they found the signal from the pod coming from a nearby planet. They had tried checking it out and they found the crashed pod- no sign of Keith though. This only made them worry more. There was nothing hinting at Keith even being alive, but they kept searching anyway.

Lance didn't believe that Keith had really just run away from them or something. They'd tried contacting the blade but they haven't seen or heard from Keith, and didn't seem all that concerned about the matter either. That meant there was either a terrible accident, or someone had taken Keith. The seemed to silently but unanimously agree that when they found who it was, there would be hell to pay.

* * *

 

Things continued like this for another three or four days. Lotor would come in, usually give him something to eat and some medicine. Once he had to restitch the wound on his side when Keith had been searching for a way out of the cell again and had twisted weirdly when trying to pull the grate off a vent.

"You're like a stubborn kit." Lotor had told him, once again pushing him arm away from his bleeding side. Keith had tried to cover it, but ultimately he'd only bleed out if he didn't let the prince help him. "You  _know_  I don't plan on hurting you, why are you so desperate to get out."

"I don't exactly like being caged up." Keith had muttered, using his anger to hide the pain. He flinched when the needle first went into his skin, but otherwise didn't react much.

"I suppose that's to be expected." The prince said, staying focused on his work. When he finished with the stitches he wrapped bandages around the area for extra protection this time. Once he finished Keith looked at the newly bandaged wound.

"Shouldn't it have been getting better by now?" He asked.

"Yes, it should've been. But you won't rest like I tell you to."

"I have too much energy." He shrugged.

"I noticed. Are you sure you're not still a child?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"I'm very sure. If you were in my place I'm sure you'd be the same way." Keith  _always_  had a lot of energy, he's been that way his whole life. Usually he'd wind up in the training deck until early hours of the morning just in hopes of tiring himself out and getting some sleep, spending all day, every day doing nothing was starting to drive him insane.

"Well, I cannot deny that. If I didn't believe you'd attack me or someone else I could let you leave every now and again, but I don't trust you."

"That's fair." Keith shrugged.

"What do you normally do to burn off energy?" The prince asked him.

"Train... thats it." Keith almost cringed, he really seemed like a boring person when he thought about it.

"Commendable I suppose." The prince said. "Once your side heals maybe we can go up against one another. A bit of friendly sparring, that's all."

"Once my side heals you're going _down_." Keith grinned. The thought of a new opponent sounded great to him, besides, learning to fight against the prince now could give him a great advantage farther down the line.

* * *

 

Maybe he was spending too much time with the red Paladin. Not enough that it effected his work negatively or anything severe like that, but enough that it was noticeable. Enough for Ezor to tease him about it any way.

To say the least he didn't entirely loath the boy. If anything, he felt he almost... enjoyed his company. The Paladin was snarky, that's for sure, and he had a very short temper, and sometimes Lotor wondered if 19 human tears were the equivalent of a very young, irritating, Galra child, but he wasn't too awful. He seemed like he was almost warming up to Lotor as well.

He finally took his advice and stopped exerting his energy trying to find a way out of the cell- there wasn't one, even if he had gotten the grate off the vent, he would've been too big to fit in it- and roughly a week later, there was little more than an ugly scar there.

When he went to visit him that day he brought with him a new set of clothes. He assumed the Paladin was tired of wearing a torn and blood soaked under suit. He didn't give him the usual Galra prisoner rags, which was just another thing Ezor teased him about. He hardly treated him as a prisoner at this point, aside from limiting him to one room. Was he even a prisoner at all? This wasn't how Lotor would normally deal with prisoners, no matter how valuable they were to his needs. He wouldn't go so far as to say they were friends, but he definitely wished that he had gotten to know him under better circumstances.

The Paladin was just waking up when Lotor entered the cell, tiredly pushing his hair back. He'd been sleeping better since his side healed. It made him a lot less irritable, that's for sure.

"What'cha got there?" He yawned, propping himself up on his arms.

"Clothes. I wouldn't exactly call what you're wearing sufficient clothing." He told him.

"Oh. Thanks." He said, getting up. He walked over and handed him the clothes and Keith gratefully took them from him. He turned and started to get undressed before glancing back at Lotor. "Aren't you going to turn around or leave or something?" He asked.

"... No. Why would I, you're only changing clothes." Lotor was genuinely confused.

"Well yeah, I don't exactly want you watching me do that." He said it like it was obvious.

"O...kay...?" He shrugged and turned around, crossing his arms. He waited until he said he was done changing before turning back around.

Keith had sat on the bed again, looking at him tiredly.

"So how long is this going to last?" He asked. "I'm going to lose my mind if I'm in this cell any longer."

"Yes, I was thinking about that. If I'm being honest with you, I've started to think it's wrong to continue keeping you as if you were a prisoner. I have your cooperation, you gave that willingly, there's no reason to continue locking you up." He said. Keith sat up straighter, wondering if the prince was actually going to let him go. "Of course I don't mean you can just wander around freely, but the least I can do is improve your living situation for the time being."

"What do you have in mind?" Keith asked. It's not as if he actually trusted this, it didn't make any sense, but he could go along with it if he had to.

"Well I had thought about putting you in a bit of a nicer room rather than a cell, and maybe allowing you to leave the room more often if I'm with you." Lotor explained. "How does that sound to you?" He asked.

"That... yeah, that sounds good." Keith nodded. He stood up and Lotor grabbed his arm, not as rough as he normally did though, and lead him out of the room. Keith was tense, Lotor could tell he didn't trust him or anything going on here. He wasn't sure how else to gain his trust, other than to show him that he deserved it. It's not hat he blamed Keith for distrusting him, he would've been the same way, but he at least wanted to change that.

He brought him to a different room on a different level of the ship, shooting glares at any of the guards who looked at Keith funny. It was a much nicer room, one that someone would usually have a guest stay in. It was small, but the bed looked like an actual comfortable bed, and there were two doors, one for a small closet, one to a bathroom. Keith looked around the room uneasily, Lotor knew he was searching for something, anything to be out of the ordinary, to give away a trap. He didn't bother telling him there was nothing to be afraid of, he knew he wouldn't believe him.

He stepped into the room with him and let go of his arm as the door shut behind him. The first thing Keith said to him was,

"This doesn't make me trust you."

"I wouldn't expect it to, Paladin." He told him. "Besides that, is the room to your liking?" He asked.

"Well... yeah, I guess..." He shrugged. Lotor knew something was off here, but he decided against pushing him any farther. He wasn't going to get anywhere with the boy if he continued to bug him at every second.

* * *

 

Lotor didn't know how to describe his feelings for the paladin. He knew he had a soft spot for him, that was for sure, but his generals, or Ezor at least, felt the need to tease him about that. He didn't quite like the feeling he got when he looked at the paladin, and soon decided that his only choice was to ignore it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter I needed the attempted rape/non con warning

 Keith didn't trust this at all. He almost wished Lotor treated him with downright cruelty, rather than this confusing thing that may have been kindness. At least then he would've known where he stood in terms of his feelings towards Lotor. Instead, here he was, trying to make him comfortable, treating him like a guest and not a prisoner. It was strange, it was wrong, he didn't like it but he didn't know what to do about it.

He checked every inch of that room, even into the tiny bathroom attached to the room. He couldn't find anything suspicious, and after some time he finally allowed himself to relax. He wanted to just flop down on that bed and keep himself calm for a while, but there was still blood caked on to his body and he generally just felt gross, so he figured taking a shower would be a good idea.

He went into the bathroom and shut the door behind him before turning the shower on and quickly getting undressed. He got into the shower and was more than relieved by the feeling of hot water hitting his skin. He was pleasantly surprised to find this bathroom was already stocked with any basic stuff he would need. He took his time getting all the blood off him and washing his tangled hair, and by the time he got out he just wanted to go back to bed. As he was drying off he heard the door to the main room open, which he found odd since Lotor left not too long ago.

"I'll be right out!" He called to him, quickly getting dressed. Once he was dressed he stepped out of the bathroom, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw not Lotor, but two guards instead. He was immediately on edge, ready to fight if need be. He didn't want to even ask why they were there, he had an awful feeling and his first thought was to try to sprint between them and out the open door. He didn't have a weapon, and felt he'd be safer fleeing than trying to fight both of them. Unfortunately, they were quicker, and he was only caught by one of them grabbing a fist full of his hair and yanking him back.

His hair was released, but then he was being held by his arms, and he was struggling to get away. He struggled against the grip of the Galra holding him, and kicked at the Galra in front of him, shouting at them to let him go, demanding his release, but refusing to beg. He finally managed to slip out of the soldier's grip, but that didn't matter when he was still trapped in a small room with two awfully determined soldiers.

It was unfair that he was caught off guard, and unfair that he didn't have a weapon to defend himself with, but he refused to simply wait for Lotor to come to his aid. He fought back against the guards, it was frantic, clawing and punching and just hoping for the best, Nothing like how he usually fought. He was getting sloppy, he never expected to be this bad after a short while of not training.

He successfully knocked out one of them, but he still had the bigger of the two to worry about. He turned to face him and immediately a fist was slammed into his face, knocking him down. He fell hard on his side, blood gushing from his nose. He did his best to ignore the pain and hurried to get to his feet. The guard swung at him again but he was able to dodge it, lunging at him, punching him straight in the jaw. It didn't do much to stop him though, and soon Keith found himself harshly shoved against a wall, his face slammed against the metal. He struggled against his grip, growling and yelling and cursing at the top of his lungs. When he felt a hand low on his hip he screamed as loud as he could, hoping he could get someone's  attention.

The guard said something but he didn't even hear, his heart pounding in his ears as he screamed at the guard he would tear his throat out with his teeth. Suddenly the guard released him, causing him to quickly turn around to see the tip of a blade that had pierced through his armor, and Lotor standing behind him, looking absolutely furious. He swiftly yanked his sword from the guard, allowing his body to fall between them before looking to Keith, a look of concern on his face now.

"Are you Okay?" He asked seriously. He glanced at the body, then looked back at Lotor. He was breathing heavily, not even sure how to react to all this. The prince stepped over the guards body, closing the space between them and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Are you Okay?" He asked again, gentler this time.

Keith looked up at him with wide eyes, shoving his hand off his shoulder and stepping around him.

"I'm fine." He said drily, his voice hoarse. He could feel himself shaking, unsure of how to deal with this. The prince clearly didn't believe this, and his attitude had greatly changed from the few moments before when he was holding a sword stabbed through another person.

"Paladin... come with me, it's best you get out of here for now." He held out his hand to Keith who just stared at it before hesitantly taking it. He lead him out of the room and down the hall, Keith's grip tightening on his hand after a few moments.

Lotor brought him somewhere deep in the ship, when they stepped off the elevator there was only one door ahead of them, really a large and ornate pair of doors. Keith didn't question any of this yet, watching as the prince tapped a code into a keypad by the door, before they slid open and they both entered the room.

Keith had never stood in a room so extra before. Even the princess' room back on the castle was extremely plain compared to this bedroom, decorated in shades of purple, silver and gold. The bed was large, with a dark canopy of curtains hanging over it, there were at least three different large mirrors in the room- he always knew the prince would be vain- and an assortment of expensive looking ornate furniture. He always pictured the room of an alien prince to be more sleek and futuristic looking, but Lotor sure had a sense of design. He was especially drawn to a large window spanning one wall of the room though.

Lotor lead him over to a comfortable set of chairs, having him sit down. Keith still had yet to say anything, staring down at his lap with widened eyes. The prince took the seat next to him, and they both remained silent for quite a while, before Lotor finally spoke.

"Paladin..."

"Keith." He slowly looked up at the prince, trying to stay calm. "Just- call me Keith. Okay?" He said seriously.

"Yes, Keith..." Lotor said his name like it was strange and foreign, which it probably was to him. "Tell me if there's anything at all you want me to do, if I can help." He told him.

"You... you don't need to protect me. I can take care of myself." He said, though his voice was shaking.

"I don't doubt that, but if you need anything then tell me." The prince seemed sincere about this.

"Yeah, sure." He let out a shaky sigh and stood up, running a hand through his hair. He felt like he'd go crazy if he didn't start moving, he began pacing around the room, and the prince simply watched him.

"I'll make sure to secure your room better, I won't let anything like this happen again." Lotor told him. Keith suddenly spun to face him, and the prince was almost startled by the anger in his eyes.

"Stop it!" He snapped. "You- this- it's wrong! Stop it, okay?!"

"I'm... not sure what you mean." The prince said, clearly confused.

"You're being nice to me! As if you care about me or something! We're enemies, Lotor, you shouldn't care about me, you shouldn't protect me, and most of all, I shouldn't trust you!" He was yelling now, all sorts of emotion coming forth at once. The prince remained calm though.

"Keith, I don't believe this is something to be upset over." He said, standing up now as well.

"Of course it is! We shouldn't be like this, this is crazy!" He was shouting, making frantic gestures with his hands. Lotor gently grabbed his wrists, and Keith didn't make any attempts to pull away.

"Calm down." The prince said gently, and Keith took a deep breath, falling silent and trying to relax. Once he finally seemed to be significantly less angry, Lotor let go of him. "Now, please explain why this upsets you so much."

"You're the Galra prince." Keith said as if it explained everything.

"And you're a paladin of Voltron."

"Exactly! We're meant to be enemies, you shouldn't be helping me or treating me as well as you do!"

"Would you prefer I keep you locked in a cell, beaten and bloody and starving?" Lotor asked him.

"Yes! Well- no! I don't know!" He groaned loudly. "I just don't understand, why are you like this?"

"Keith, you've given me no reason to treat you like a prisoner. I do not wish to harm you, and I fully intend to return you to the other paladins. In the mean time, I want to keep you safe."

"It's just... it feels wrong." He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "I'm... sorry, for freaking out. After what happened, and all of this, it's just... a lot."

"I understand. If you would like, I'll leave you alone here to relax, I'm sure you could use some time to yourself." Lotor offered. Keith nodded.

"Yeah... that sounds good, thanks." He said, glancing up at him.

"I'll come back to check on you when I get the chance, but until then you should rest, alright?" Keith nodded in agreement, and when the prince left he walked across the room to look out that large window.

He found it almost calming to gaze out at the stars and space surrounding the ship. There was a place back in the castle with a large window spanning the length of a large room. He found himself going there often, especially late when he was the only left awake. He always felt comforted there.

He sat down on the floor, leaning against the bit of wall below the window. After everything that had happened, exhaustion was starting to take over and he was finally beginning to feel safe. It was only a matter of time before he fell asleep.

* * *

 

Lotor came back hours later, and he couldn't help but smile when he saw the paladin curled up against the wall, fast asleep. He looked like he was finally at peace when he was asleep, he wasn't angry, scared, on edge. Lotor walked over and gently picked him up, beginning to carry him back to his room, which he had since gotten cleaned up.

Keith woke up as he carried him into the room, looking up at him and yawning.

"Have I been asleep for long?" He asked as Lotor put him down on the bed.

"I'm not sure, though it definitely looked as if you needed that nap."

"I really did. Should've explored your room a bit more before I passed out though."

"Why would you want to do that?" The prince asked him.

"Well, your room was absolutely extra, just like you, so I was curious." He shrugged.

"Extra?" Now he just looked confused.

"Yeah, extra." He shook his head, smiling. "It's something Lance said a lot, like, you're super overdramatic." The prince gasped in a rather exaggerated manner.

"Me? Overdramatic?" He almost seemed offended, which caused Keith to start laughing.

"I've spent enough time here to know you're definitely over dramatic." He told him.

"Nonsense. I don't know what you're talking about." The prince said stubbornly. Keith couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Oh whatever, you're the most extra person I know." He said, rolling his eyes.

"I am not, but I'm sure you won't change your mind." The prince sighed, and Keith grinned at him.

"Nope, not anytime soon that's for sure." Keith felt so much better being able to talk to the prince like a normal person. Letting go of all his frustration and anger over trusting him definitely relieved a lot of tension. Had they met under different circumstances, Keith would've wanted them to be friends. He didn't entirely understand why Lotor felt such a strong need to keep him comfortable and safe if he was little more than a bargaining chip, but at this point he wasn't sure he should continue to question the prince's kindness.


	5. Chapter 5

Long after he'd taken Keith back to his room and returned to the bridge with his generals, Lotor looked to Ezor.

  "Ezor? Do you think I'm extra?" He asked. 

  "Extra? What does that even mean?" She asked. 

  "You know, like, do you think I'm over dramatic?" He asked. She almost giggled, and Zethrid answered for her. 

  "Oh, Absolutely." She said, causing Ezor to really start laughing. Axca rolled her eyes, turning to face Lotor.

  "Don't you think you've been spending a little too much time with the Paladin?" She asked. 

  "What? No, of course not. There was just, an incident today, and he needed my attention." The prince assured her. 

  "Was there an incident yesterday?" She asked.

  "And the day before that?" Ezor added, a knowing smile on her face. "I think you've been giving him special treatment because you ~like~ him." She said, a teasing tone in her voice. Lotor wasn't one to get embarrassed very often, but he was now and he refused to let that continue much longer. 

  "I need to go." He said, standing up abruptly. He didn't say another word to them as he left, refusing to let this teasing drag on any longer.

* * *

 

 

 "Are you sure you're feeling up to this?" The prince asked. He agreed to walk around the ship with Keith for a short while but the boy would absolutely not leave him alone once they came across the training deck. He found it kind of endearing really. 

  "Yes, Lotor. I told you we were going to fight sooner or later." He said with a grin. Lotor hadn't seen him look so lively and excited once since he'd been on the ship. Maybe that was understandable. 

  "Alright, if you insist." The prince smiled at him. "Though, allow me to give you something first." He said. The boy looked confused, but nodded and said okay anyway. The way his face lit up when Lotor handed him his blade was something the prince was glad to see, he had kept the knife on him since he brought the boy on the ship, he didn't expect him to be so excited to see it. 

  "You're letting me have this back?" He asked, snatching the weapon from him as if he would take it back any second. 

  "It's only fair, isn't it?" He said. "Now, Do you wish to continue staring at the thing, or would you like to put it to use?" He asked, unsheathing his own sword.

 

* * *

 

  "So, what does that make? Four out of five so far?" The prince smiled down at him. "Are you ready to give up, Paladin?"

  "You wish." Keith grinned. He didn't expect to wind up with Lotor on top of him, his sword inches to the side of his head, his hair just barely brushing over his face, not once, but four times, but he wasn't exactly complaining. "Come on, ready for round six?" The prince laughed and got off him, helping him up once he'd done so.

  "Are you sure that you can handle that? You must be tired by now."

  "Oh please, I can handle a few more rounds." He rolled his eyes. He knew Lotor only had an advantage because he hadn't been training regularly like he used to but he was determined to get a real, fair fight out of this. 

  It was only sometime before when he would've tried to _slaughter_ the prince when he had a weapon in his hands. The thought didn't even cross his mind now. He was actually  _enjoying_  spending time with Lotor.

  It was during their final round when Lotor had told him, "you fight like a Galra." as he dodged his blade. 

  "Funny, your father had told me the same thing." He had snickered, and Lotor laughed.

  "Well, I suppose my father can be right about one thing." He had said with a grin.

  Keith had won that fight. It didn't stop until he had knocked the sword from his hand, knocked him on to the floor, straddled his waist and pinned his hands above his head. That was when he grinned widely and triumphantly said, "I win."

  The prince had easily knocked him off of him, not roughly or anything, but they both sat up. 

  "You're am impressive opponent, Keith." The prince told him. "We'll have to do this again some time." He stood up and then helped Keith to his feet. 

  "Definitely." He smiled up at him. "But I'm not going to go easy on you next time."

 

* * *

 

The prince ignored the teasing as it went on, enjoying his free time with Keith whenever he could. Ezor frequently accused him of liking the boy, to which he would respond that of course he liked him, he was beginning to see him as a good friend almost, but she would just roll her eyes. Lotor didn't get it. 

  At least, he didn't until late one night, trying to fall asleep, but the constant mess of thoughts running through his head kept him up, which was normal. At some point in all this it finally hit him, snapping him out of his half asleep state and causing him to quickly sit up in bed.

  "Oh. I _like_ him."

 

* * *

 

  Keith quickly realized that Lotor was avoiding him, and he didn't understand why. He knew that he was busy, but he would normally tell him if he was going to be away for a while. He even saw him sometimes, as Lotor had allowed him almost entire free roam of the ship. He'd tried to say something to him but Lotor would often make an excuse, or abruptly leave. It was frustrating to Keith, after he had finally come to terms with how he felt towards the prince, suddenly things are strange and cold between them again.

After almost two weeks of this Keith finally cornered Lotor in a corridor of the ship, trapping the taller man between himself and a wall. Lotor could've easily shoved Keith out of the way or even just picked him up and set him aside, but he didn't.

"Keith, I'm afraid I don't have time right now-"

"Bullshit." Keith put his hands on his hips, glaring up at him. "Why are you avoiding me all of a sudden?"

"I'm not-"

"Bullshit." He said again. "I'm not stupid, Lotor, I know when someone's avoiding me."

"If you would just _listen_ to me," The prince rested his hands on Keith's shoulders, "I don't have time as of right now, we're very busy with our own agenda, as well as trying to contact the other paladins." He told him.

"That doesn't explain why you look the other way when I'm around and take off for a different room when I show up." Keith didn't know why it was bothering him so much. He'd never cared before when someone lost interest in him, but the initial disappointment at Lotor ignoring him had quickly turned to anger and irritation.

"I'm sorry, Keith. I'm sure you're lonely being on your own here, but I should have some free time soon enough." The prince spoke with such sincerity that Keith couldn't help but relax.

"Well... fine." He sighed, stepping back from Lotor and crossing his arms. He was starting to feel pretty stupid for interrogating the prince that way. The prince patted his head, a smile on his face.

"Don't worry, Little Red, things should be sorted out soon." He assured him, smiling at him. Upon hearing the nickname, Keith's face went bright red, he couldn't even get out a response in the time it took him to process that before Lotor was smiling and walking away, telling him he'd talk to him some other time.

* * *

 

It started with a knife.

Lotor had asked Keith to come see him in his room and Keith agreed to do so. When he went down there he knocked on the door, which slid open immediately. Lotor had been across the room, looking out the window, but turned when Keith came in.

"You wanted to see me?" Keith asked, walking over to him.

"Yes, there was something I wanted to give you." The prince said, smiling and handing him a small rectangular box. Keith raised an eyebrow as he took it.

"A gift? You shouldn't have." He snickered, opening it up though. Inside was a knife, alien in appearance, sleek and brand new, but most importantly, it was _incredibly cool_.

"Do you like it?" Lotor asked.

"Yeah, it's amazing..." Keith was more than a little bit shocked by this random gift. "Thank you." He looked up at him and smiled.

"I had hoped you would like." He glanced away from him, and Keith could swear that the Galran prince was _blushing_.

"I really appreciate it, but I have to ask, why would you get me a gift?" He asked. The prince shrugged, waving his hand dismissively.

"Think of it as an apology present of sorts, for leaving you alone for so long." He told him, though Keith wasn't entirely convinced that was the reason.

 

Over time the gifts continued, sometimes Lotor would give them to him in person, sometimes they'd be left in his room for him to find when he came back. At first it was things the prince knew he liked, he acquired quite a few new blades through this, but then it was things like nicer clothing, shoes, even jewelry. He almost felt bad that most of this was stuff he probably didn't need, and normally wouldn't even give a second glance to. He did appreciate it all though, even if he did find it rather strange.

* * *

 

 Lotor hadn't wanted to admit to his generals that he did in fact have feelings for the Paladin, but he needed help and they were the only people he could talk to about it. Even he knew that he couldn't win the boy's affection just by gifts, but he'd never felt this strongly for someone before.

  It was Zethrid who suggested a date, and Axca who reluctantly suggested a nearby planet, entirely uninhabited but with beautiful forests, and Ezor who happily announced that she had been right all along. At least he knew Narti wasn't going to tease him or anything, but he knew that she would if she could.

 

 Normally when they needed to stop at a planet, Keith would keep to the ship, but Lotor asked him to come with him so he did. He didn't ask any questions about where they were going, didn't seem to care much, looking around when they arrived on the planet. It was slightly cold, and even though Lotor himself knew there were no dangers, Keith didn't, which he found to be a good excuse to keep his arm protectively around his shoulders.

  It was quiet between them, and Keith seemed interested in observing their surroundings, the tall trees with leaves of purples and blues that surrounded them, the bright, almost glowing pink flowers that hung from vines from the trees. He had  a faint smile on his face, leaning into Lotor as they walked.

  "It's real pretty out here." He said, glancing up at Lotor.

  "I thought you would like it." He told him.

  "I do. Why did you bring me out here though? You aren't planning on taking me deep into a forest, killing me, and leaving my body there, are you?" He asked, laughing. It took Lotor a moment to realize he was really joking about that.

  "Absolutely not." He said, shaking his head. "I figured you'd want to get off that ship after a while."

  "You were right, I've been dying for some fresh air." He looked up at him and smiled. "You know, you've been real sweet to me lately."

  "You think so?" He asked, picking a flower from a vine and handing it to Keith.

  "Yeah... I mean, first you were just nice to me and all, but, then all the time you spend with me, then the gifts, and now this? If I didn't know any better I'd think you have a crush on me." He laughed.

  "A crush?" The prince had yet to get used to some of the humans terms.

  "Yeah, like, you have romantic feelings for me." He laughed, shaking his head. "Or is this just how Galra treat their friends?" As he spoke, he fixed the flower into his hair, and Lotor found out that the boy really could get more beautiful.

  "Romantic feelings? I- Well, I do care about you but." He stopped walking, prompting Keith to stop too, turning to face him. They had entered a small clearing, surrounded by those trees with the beautiful glowing flowers, enough to cast a dim pink light around them. "But romantic..." He could feel his face heating up, he was usually so calm and cool around people, but around Keith, he truly felt nervous. 

  The whole reason he'd brought him here was so that he could at least hint towards his feelings for him. He had thought it all through, but with the topic being brought up, he knew he had to take the chance. He quickly took his hands, and Keith gave him a confused look.

  "Lotor...?" He asked. "Are you feeling okay?" He saw the nervous look on his face and took it as discomfort.

  "I- yes, I'm fine." He took a deep breath. "Keith, I really do mean it when I say I care about you. I know it's... odd, given that we were supposed to be enemies, I mean, you didn't even want us to be friends, but... I believe that I do... have romantic feelings for you..." he spoke slowly, cautiously, watching his face for any reaction. 

  "Lotor, I..." He looked nervous too now, glancing away from him, trying to avoid making eye contact. "You... you're sweet, really but..." he wanted to pull away and stop this but instead he only held the prince's hands tighter, finally looked him in the eye. "We can't do this." He said. "Not now, not with how things are. I have to go back at some point, you know that, we already agreed on that." 

  "Then are you saying you feel the same way?" He asked, sounding hopeful. Keith sighed heavily, letting go of his hands and stepping back from him.

  "Lotor... this is a lot, really, can I have some time to at least think about it?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. The prince stepped back from him, knowing he couldn't rush the paladin with this.

  "Of course..." he told him, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice.

  "Why don't you go ahead back to the ship? I'll meet you there later, Okay." He told him, giving him an awkward smile that was meant to be reassuring.

  "Yes... I will see you there..." he said quietly, before turning and leaving Keith there alone. He knew that Keith had a point, Keith would need to go back and there was nothing Lotor could do to stop that. There was nothing he would do to stop it. As much as he cared about him, as strong as his feelings were, he knew that if Keith decided against this, he would have to let him go, and that thought truly pained him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tbh I wasn’t gonna update this but seeing people comment was enough motivation for me so honestly thank y’all (((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o)))


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk if I need to put a warning for violence but I can’t write a fanfic without violently hurting Keith so  
> Sorry

 

He felt so stupid. Of course he felt the same way about Lotor, he had been for a while now, but he couldn't bring himself to tell him that. He knew it was wrong, they shouldn't care for each other so much, and it was only going to hurt them. But that didn't stop the way his heart fluttered whenever the prince said his name, or the way he leaned into the prince's every touch, every time he took his hand, put an arm around his shoulders, or played with his hair.

He'd sat down in the soft grass, anxiously running a hand through his hair. Even if he did tell Lotor how he felt, it's not as if they could really ever be together. Not with the war, not with Keith needed to get back to the others, not with the fact that they still considered Lotor an enemy. It was just one big mess.

He stayed out there for what had to be hours, and by the time he decided to head back he still hadn't made a decision on want to tell Lotor. He was confused, frustrated, which was made only worse when he realized he didn't even remember the way back. Everything around him looked the same, no matter which turn he took he swore he was just walking in circles. He seriously wished he'd gone back with the prince.

 

* * *

 

 

The longer Keith took, the more anxious Lotor got. He was just starting to accept that the boy must have gotten lost and was going to go look for him, when Axca has told him they needed him on the bridge, and it was important.

He felt an immediate panic as soon as he was told what the problem was. They had to leave, he knew that, but Keith still hadn't come back. It was risky to spend any more time than necessary, but he refused to leave him there, especially with the threat at hand. If he could just get him back quickly, it would be no problem.

 

* * *

 

 

There was definitely a problem. Keith had his blade gripped tightly in one hand, warily looking around. Something felt... off, he was one edge, ready to attack. He wondered if he was being crazy, imagining that something was going on, but then he swore he heard footsteps and he decided that he was definitely not crazy.

It was when a strong hand suddenly grabbed his arm that he snapped, turning quickly and swinging the knife. He stabbed it directly into the offender's hand, causing him to let go of him with a growl and curse. There were more of them though, and Keith dodged fists, hands grabbing for him, even blasts from their guns, but there was more of them then there was Of him, it was unfair and he was outnumbered. A perfectly aimed shot knocked the knife from his grip, burning his hand in the process, and he tried to ignore the searing pain and keep fighting but he just _couldn't_.

He was weak, and his body ached by the time they were able to successfully haul him off. He could barely even remain conscious, much less defend himself. It was impossible to begin with.

 

* * *

 

 

Lotor found the area, blood soaked the grass, and the only relief he felt was seeing that very little of it could possibly be from Keith, after dealing with his injuries he knew the boy bled different from other Galra. That relief was immediately gone when he saw something else laying in the grass. Keith's knife. He was going _kill_ his father.

 

* * *

 

Things had been more or less chaotic on the castle of lions. The blade was of very little help to them when it came to searching for Keith, and they had too much on their hands to dedicate very much time to it. They tried, but the long nights were taking a toll on all of them, and it was simply a risk they couldn't afford to take, not in their position.

The stress was getting to each of them, Lance had already snapped at Kolivan more than once over his disinterest in Keith's well-being, Pidge And Hunk had been exhausted staying up and doing what they could. Shiro was the only one keeping himself together, and even that was just barely.

It was only a matter of time until their efforts paid off though, it was the middle of night when Pidge ran through the halls, banging on everyone's door and yelling at them to get up because she finally got _something_. They tiredly gathered around her on the bridge, watching the things she pulled up and pointed out. Lance was sure Hunk was the only other person who could understand this.

"Alright pidge, summarize." Lance said after a while. She gave him a look but sighed and turned to face all them.

"I found Lotor's ship."

* * *

 

Keith was freakin pissed. Once again he was waking up in a cell, in pain, with no clear means of escaping. His head hurt, really his whole body hurt, and it didn't help his hands were chained avove his head, making his shoulders ache. He didn't understand how this happened, had Lotor done this? Had he been that upset that Keith didn't think it was right to be with him? No, by now he knew he prince. He was better than that.

He didn't like the looks of the cell. Unlike the one he'd woken up in on Lotor's ship, this one wasn't barren. There were all kinds of things hanging on the walls around him, some he recognized like whips, more chains, blades of different sizes, and something that looked suspiciously similar to an electric cattle prod. Then there were other things, thing he hoped he didn't have to find out what they were used for. Things that looked like long needles, something that looked like some sort of metal, futuristic headband, a short bar covered in spikes with straps hanging off the ends.

He pulled and struggled against his restraints but he wasn't getting anywhere and he knew it. When he had first woken up he was on his knees, and trying to sit normally proved that the chain was too short for him to do so without serious pain and discomfort. Ultimately, he had no choice but to wait till someone came into the cell.

He counted roughly thirty five minutes in his head before the door slid open and someone walked in. There were two guards, which immediately put him on edge. After the incident with Lotor's guards he was always nervous around any of them, immediately ready to defend himself if needed. There was someone else with them too, a female Galra. She wasn't much taller than one of Lotor's generals, Axca he believed her name was, and she looked more intimidating than any of them had. He refused to let them know he was scared though, keeping a blank expression as he watched the woman stride up to him.

"So, you're the half-breed pet the prince has been keeping?" She asked with a sneer, looking down on him. He glared up at her, almost growling.

"I'm _no one's_ pet." He spat. "Especially not Lotor's."

"You're nothing impressive really. It should be easy to break you." She said, pretty much ignoring what he said. She turned to the guards and told them they could leave, that she wouldn't need any help with "such a fragile looking kit", as she put it. Once they had exited the cell, she turned back to Keith and knelt down in front of him.

"I will give you a chance to surrender now. You tell me what I wish to know about the prince's plans, and I will not hurt you." She said with a tone a mother would use when saying "if you tell me the truth you won't get in trouble", which lead Keith to believe she was definitely lying.

"Even if I knew anything he had planned, nothing would make me tell you." He said, glaring at her. To his credit, he wasn't lying. The prince had kept their interactions very separate from any of his official business, he never so much as overheard anything from him.

"Nothing at all?" She raised an eyebrow. "You aren't as strong as you think, I'm sure I can find something to persuade you." She said, standing up.

"It doesn't matter what you do, I don't have anything I could tell you. He never told me anything.” He said seriously.

"I find that hard to believe." She scoffed. Keith watched as she walked across the room, eyeing the different torture devices on the wall. Your people have these on your planet, correct?" She said, grabbing a whip and turning to face him. He kept his mouth shut, denying her an answer. He knew he couldn't talk his way out of this.

She approached him again, standing behind him this time. Before Keith could even prepare himself he heard the crack of the whip and then there was the awful, stinging pain on his back, even through the fabric of his shirt it stung like hell. He gritted his teeth and bit back any sound though, refusing to give her that satisfaction.

"The prince dressed you up far too nicely, only a Galra of high nobility dresses that way." She commented, before giving him another lash across his back. Keith breathed in heavily through his nose, trying to stay calm, stay silent. "You're lower than anyone, lower than the halfling prince himself." She grabbed the collar of his shirt before tearing it open, the cool air making the stinging pain even worse. He knew it could only get worse, he clenched his fists and bit down hard on his lip. "You're nothing more than an over glorified pet!" This time the moment the whip met his back he couldn't help but cry out. The woman paused and Keith tried to catch his breath, his eyes squeezed shut. He listened to her footsteps and she suddenly grabbed a fistful of his hair, forcing his head up. He opened his eyes to look at her, but still said nothing.

"This doesn't have to continue. If you tell me what I want to know, I'll stop." She said sternly.

"I _can't_ tell you anything because I don't _know_ anything!" He snapped.

"Stop lying, kit, you're only prolonging this." She said, letting go of his hair and tearing the front of his shirt this time, leaving only a few ragged strips hanging off his arms and shoulders.

"I'm not lyi-" His sentence cut off into a strangled cry as she whipped him across the chest this time. His nails were digging into the palms of his hands now, he didn't need to look to know the mark across his chest had to be bad. He waited for some sort of comment from her but instead was greeted with another lash across the chest. And she just kept. On. Going. He tried to keep count, but he lost concentration sometime around the 19th lash, howling in pain as the whip bit into his raw skin. He tried to start counting again and got to 14 before he noticed he was bleeding. When she finally stopped he was breathing heavily, blinking back tears of pain.

"You're a stubborn one, aren't you?" She said, but he didn't answer, silently glaring up at her. "If not stubborn you're definitely stupid. I'll give you some time to think it over, but it's in your best interest to give me what I want." She said. Keith watched as she went and put the now blood covered whip back where she'd gotten it before she left the cell, leaving him alone again.

 

* * *

 

 

Keith continued to try and convince her that he really didn't know anything. She seemed to only get angrier and angrier with him, which caused the torture to become more brutal. He was whipped for hours on end. When she got tired, she would just call a guard to do it for her. When he wasn't howling in pain, he was screaming that he didn't know anything, every other word some form of expletive.

Some times she'd used the thing that looked like an electric cattle prod- which is basically what it was. Two prongs at the end of it which were spark to life when a certain part of the handle was pressed down on. She had first harshly dug it into his side, and at first he didn't understand as it only caused some mild discomfort, just a sharp jabbing pain. And then she pressed the button to actually activate it. He screamed at the top of his lungs as it shocked him, it was the worst pain by far, he felt like the electricity was traveling through his whole body, causing him to panic, to scream and want to get away, but he couldn't even struggle, he couldn't find the control over his body needed to do _something_.

This continued for what Keith assumed was roughly a week. When he wasn't screaming in pain, he was screaming senseless mixtures of insults and curses. On the 7th or 8th day she had gotten sick of it.

"If you won't tell me what I want then you're not going to talk at all." She hissed. She'd gone across the room and grabbed the small spiked bar hanging from the wall. It finally dawned on him what it was for, he went silent almost immediately, shutting his mouth and clenching his teeth. "Oh, NOW you wish to be quiet, hm?" She sneered, walking back over to him. He instinctively leaned back, shaking his head. She seemed to think for a moment before she looked to the two guards she'd brought with her this time. She ordered one of them to hold his head in place, another to get that electric weapon again. He still didn't give in, even though he knew it was going to happen either way, but he couldn't just sit there and allow it.

The first guard held his head in place with an iron grip, the other guard jabbed the weapon into the small of his back, his screamed at the top of his lungs, and the woman shoved the bar between his teeth. It tore into his tongue and the roof of his mouth and he screamed louder. The guard holding his head in place locked the straps behind his head, and he found that even moving his head slightly caused the spikes to just dig deeper. All he could taste was the metal and the blood that filled his mouth. He couldn't hold back his screams though, his throat going raw, and he kept screaming until he began choking on his blood, and that was when he knew he had to struggle to keep from coughing and gagging, because that would just cause more pain. The woman dismissed the guards, told him to keep his head down if he didn't want to choke, and warned him that he better be ready to talk when she decided to let him heal, before leaving him there.

He did tilt his head forward, and watching the blood that poured from the corners of his mouth made him sick. He was bleeding too much, he wasn't sure if there was enough Galra in him to keep him from bleeding out. It was only a matter of time before he fell unconscious, he could only hope he didn't loose too much blood.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning on this one for more violence, blood and broken bones and the like.

  
Lotor had been trying to track down the ship Keith was being held on for roughly 13 quintants since he'd lost him. He kept his blade at his hip at all times, Keith was no damsel in distress, and he knew that by the time he found him, he'd want it back for immediate use. 

  His generals tried to convince him to just forget about Keith, it wasn't important right now, he could search for him later, but Lotor knew what a prisoner of the Galra empire was treated like, he knew all too well the whips and chains and senseless beatings that came with it, and he was going to do whatever he possibly could to keep Keith from having to experience that.

  He'd never felt the need to protect someone so strongly. He'd lost sleep over this, felt panic rise in his chest when he thought about what they could possibly be doing to Keith, _his Keith_. He'd find every last monster that laid a hand on him and rip them to shreds himself if he had to, someone was going to _pay_ if he found the boy with so much as a scratch on him.

  He was so on edge and frustrated by this situation that when a sudden loud, ship shaking crash sounded and alarms began blaring, he was only more infuriated because whoever it was, they were wasting his precious time.

 Him and his generals arrived at the same time, and he never thought he would be _relieved_ to see the paladins of Voltron. His generals looked ready to attack but he motioned for them to stand down, despite every one of the paladins having their weapons trained on him.

  
  "Where is Keith?" The princess spoke first, her eyes narrowed and glaring at the prince.

  "I've been trying to find him myself." He told her.

  "We aren't stupid Lotor, we know you have him!" The blue paladin snapped, keeping his gun pointed at Lotor, who didn't seem to care much.

  "I will admit- I _did_ have him." He told them. He took Keith's knife and held it up for them to see, proof that the paladin was once there. It didn't improve his situation.

  "What did you do with him?!" The green paladin shouted, raising her bayard.

  "If you would all calm down- and please, lower your weapons, it's rude- then I'll explain what happened. Here, I will surrender my own weapons as well." His generals looked at him like he was crazy, but Lotor ignored it. He laid down Keith's blade first, then his own sword. The paladins seemed hesitant but they at least lowered their weapons, which was good enough for him.

  "Okay, explain." The black paladin said seriously.

  "Gladly- though I advise I do so away from this part of my ship... which you destroyed."

 

* * *

 

 

 Lotor decided to momentarily set aside his bitterness over having to get part of his ship repaired and led them farther into the ship, explaining to them as the group walked exactly how and where he found Keith.

  He left out certain details, but most importantly he left out his confession to the boy right before he was taken. It took confirmation from his generals, and some security footage he was able to find of Keith roaming the halls or on the training deck for them to finally accept that Keith was treated better than any mere prisoner could ever hope to be treated. When asked why he kept Keith so long, he explained what his original plan had been, and then how he grew rather fond of the boy, and wanted to help him get back, before all this happened.

  "And you believe it was zarkon who took him?" The black paladin asked after he explained it all.

  "Yes, or at least one of his many useless underlings." He said dismissively. "I've been trying to pinpoint the exact ship he's on, and I think I've finally narrowed it down." He brought up a map and pointed at a specific purple dot. "If we can get on to it then surely we will have no problems getting to him. The only problem I was having was actually getting on the ship- me and my father aren't exactly on good terms."

  "If we agree to get on this ship to get Keith, how do we know this isn't some sort of trap?" The yellow paladin asked.

  "You don't." The prince shrugged. "Plain and simple, I can't expect any of you to trust me, but I want Keith back safe, and you want Keith back safe, which is why I ask that we put our differences aside and work together. I will do what is necessary for you to trust me temporarily if it means we can rescue him."

  The blue, yellow, and green paladins looked to the princess, who then looked to the black paladin. Both him and the princess seemed wary of Lotor, which he understood, but if he could get them to help him then it didn't matter. He just wanted Keith back. Finally, Allura spoke up.

  "Fine, Lotor. You're coming with us, and you're leaving your generals here." She said, eyeing the girls.

  "Absolutely not." Acxa said immediately.

  "You're crazy if you think the prince is going alone." Zethrid said seriously.

  "He either goes alone or he doesn't go at all." Allura told them, dead set on her decision. They looked to Lotor, who sighed and crossed his arms.

  "If that is what you insist, then okay, they will stay here." He said.

  "Are you insane?" Ezor asked.

  "Do not worry, it's going to be fine." He assured them. Acxa wasn't at all convinced though.

  "My lord, with all due respect, this is ridiculous!" She snapped. "You're putting yourself in danger for what?! The affections of that boy?!" Almost immediately all eyes were directed to Lotor, but he refused to let on that he was at all flustered.

  "This has nothing to do with that. No matter my feelings for Keith, I only want to make sure he's safe." He said as professionally as he could. He swore he heard the green paladin snicker. "I will be fine, we'll return in no time."

  "You're prince will get back just fine, can we just get going?" The blue paladin asked, crossing his arms. His generals seemed hesitant, but Acxa finally relented.

  "Alright, fine." She said. Lotor wondered since when he needed any of their permission to do something, but if it kept them calm then so be it.

 

 

* * *

 

  It had been nearly 14 quintants, filled with countless whippings, electrocutions, beatings, and that gag mangling his mouth, and the kit still had yet to give in. Commander Almuna asked him every single day if he was ready to, she would remove that gag and let him heal if he would tell her what he wanted, but he still didn't submit. She had broken the strongest Galra in maybe a quintant or two, but this boy was almost impressing her.

  She had been told he was part human, a half breed mutt the half breed prince had been keeping, but when she had first seen him she found it hard to believe there was any Galra in him at all, his skin, his hair color, his size and build all pointed to human, but now she knew better. The stubbornness, the strong will, that fierce glint in his eyes. There was a Galra in there, and he wasn't going to give in to her.

   She had been hesitant at first to carry out this interrogation. Never had she come across someone she couldn't mutilate as she wished, gender, rank, relation to her, it never mattered. But this was a kit, just a child. Not even 20 deca-phoebs yet, which may be adult by human standards but to her he was still far too young to be put in this situation. He didn't know this was her being merciful, and she cursed the prince for keeping a kit for a pet, and had she not been so devoted to her lord, she would've cursed the emperor himself for making her do this to get information on his son. She would've much rather torture the halfling prince himself.

 

  __

* * *

 

 

 Keith was getting tired of this. At this point he felt that if he did know anything, he would've given in, he was in so much pain, he probably would've told them anything they asked. But he just, didn't know. 

  He had been harshly awoken from an uncomfortable, fitful sleep by loud blasts and rough movement of the ship, and a familiar, dull roaring in the back of his mind, one that made his eyes snap open and his heart leap. It had been far too long since he'd had such a clear connection with Red. Whatever had happened caused the power to shut off, dim red emergency lights coming on instead. The desperation to escape that cell and his restraints had never been so strong as it was in that moment. 

  It was a single metal cuff holding both his hands above his head, fastened around his wrists with little give. However, if he could get one hand out, the other would have enough room to slip out too. It's just, getting one hand out was nearly impossible without seriously mangling his hand. The roaring in his head seemed more intense, and though he easily understood it as a warning of "don't harm yourself" he had to get _out_ , if they were there then he refused to sit there and wait to be saved. So did what any normal person would do.

  He broke his hand.

 Trying to pull either hand free proved to be useless, he needed more room, or more movement in his hands, and the only thing he could think of was to break one of them. He had to twist his one hand a bit awkwardly, and it hurt his wrist but he knew that pain was nothing compared to what he was about to do to the other hand. He managed to get a good grip on his other hand and thanked god he had enough strength to start with breaking his thumb.

  The sound his bones made was sickening, and he screamed with each sharp pain, the whole time the roaring in his head got louder, telling him to _stop it_ but in the end, he was able to free one hand. He'd never been so relieved in his life.

  He slipped his other hand through before struggling to get to his feet, looking around the room. He knew he couldn't get that gag off without passing out from the pain, but he couldn't bear to walk around anywhere with it obvious. He found a larger scrap of cloth left over from his shirt, large enough to tie around his head like a bandana, which was difficult to do with only one hand. After he did that he grabbed one of the larger blades from the wall and prayed to every god he could think of that the power shortage affected the door locks too.

  He stuck that blade in the thin crack and pushed as hard as he could, and was amazed to find it worked, the door slid up just a bit, enough he could slip through anyway. He was finally free. 

 

 

* * *

 

  They had all gone their separate directions, and Lotor and Lance ended up searching down one hall for him. Lotor has given them all a rundown of the ship and which floors and halls held prison cells where the former red Paladin should be. When they arrived on the ship and split up, Lance had handed him Keith's blade, telling him to hold on to it so they could give it back to the boy.

  They had rounded a corner and that's where things began looking up. They had expected to find Keith chained up and injured, but here they found him, in an all out fight against a Galra soldier. It was impressive, but they could both tell that Keith wasn't going to last long, he was clearly pain and something looked... off about his right hand. He got distracted when he saw them, his eyes going wide, and the soldier took that moment to shoot him. The bullet grazed his side, and Keith nearly screamed, barely able to hold himself up.

  Lance didn't even think, he shot the soldier square in the back and they both rushed to Keith.

  "Keith, buddy, come on, we're getting out of here." He told him, grabbing his arm. Lotor thought to hand Keith's blade to Lance, but the moment he went to do so Keith dropped the one he was holding and reached for it. He seemed almost comforted to hold his knife again.

  They all quickly turned to the sound of footsteps behind them, and there Lotor saw Commander Almuna. He'd never wanted to kill someone so bad, he knew what she was known for and Keith's injuries all pointed to being caused by her.

  "Lance, take Keith and get out, now." He said seriously, immediately getting between them and the commander. He heard a strained cry of protest from Keith but he ignored it, he wasn't going to let the boy he cared so much about be hurt anymore. Even if it came at the risk of his own well being.

  Lance didn't even hesitate, he started pulling Keith away from there, and he was too weak to struggle against him, but that didn't stop him from shouting incoherent protests. Finally Lance got frustrated and ripped the cloth away from his mouth, nearly gasping when he saw the gag that had mangled his mouth. Keith weakly tried to tug away again, and Lance had to practically carry him to get him to stop struggling. He needed to get him out of there _immediately_.


	8. Chapter 8

 It must have been the adrenaline and fear that kept him going, because the moment Lance got him on to Red he passed out, feeling comfortable and safe for the first time in a while. Lance had to lay him across his lap in order to be able to pilot correctly but also make sure his condition wasn't getting any worse.

  Lance couldn't stop glancing back at Keith, at the damage the gag had done. His lips were nearly shredded, it must've been hell inside his mouth. Blood was smeared all around his mouth and down his chin and neck. He could hardly believe Keith actually managed to survive all that blood loss. Even though he was unconscious now, he still looked like he was in indescribable pain.

  They all arrived back at pretty much the same time and Lance had to carry Keith off red. The others were equally shocked when they saw his condition, and no one wanted to say it but they knew they had to get that gag out of his mouth, and it was best to do it now when he wasn't conscious to feel anything. Lance carried him to the infirmary and had to lie him down, letting Coran, Allura, and Shiro take over as they discussed the best way to do so without causing more harm. He didn't want to stick around and see how this ended so he left the room, just hoping that Keith was going to be alright.

* * *

 

 Coran told them it would be about three days before Keith would be out of the pod, and shiro spent most of those three days in the infirmary just watching him, worried to death about him. He was felt nothing but rage seeing the pain that had been inflicted on someone he cared so much about. 

  There were countless lash marks and welts all over his chest and back, Shiro knew they could've only come from a whip. Then there were burn marks, marks that spread and scarred his body like lightning bolts. He couldn't even see if his mouth had gotten any better, they'd had to bandage the lower half of his face after they removed the gag and just hope that the pod helped him. It hurt to see him this way, but he was so thankful that they had him back now. 

* * *

 

 The first thing Keith became aware of was how  _cold_  he was. He was stiff and cold and uncomfortable and he just wanted it to stop. When the pod finally opened he weakly stumbled out, and it was Shiro who caught him, strong arms holding him up against his chest so he wouldn't fall. He tiredly gazed at the others as they crowded around him. 

  "Keith, are you feeling better?" Allura asked. Keith nodded slowly in response and tried to open his mouth to say something but realized something was wrong. He reached up and felt along his jaw and brushed his fingers over his bandaged mouth, seeming confused and frustrated.

  "That... thing they had in your mouth really tore it up..." Hunk told him. He nodded again, seeming frustrated with this. He reached up and started pulling the bandages off, he didn't care how bad his mouth still looked he needed it off. They stepped back and let him, each hoping that the pod had helped. Once he removed the bandages he moved his mouth awkwardly, flicking his tongue out since it felt weird. Around his mouth things had healed, his lips were scarred but at least back to normal, and pushing his tongue against the roof of his mouth didn't send him into headsplitting pain. Over all, he felt ten times better. Once he established it wouldn't kill him to speak, he looked at them.

"Where's Lotor?" He asked immediately, the worry clear on his face. The last time he remembered seeing him was as Lance carried him away. "Did he get off that ship okay?"

  "No- maybe- I don't know, we left him there." He said. "We haven't heard from him or anything so we aren't sure."

  "Have you tried contacting him? Or his generals at least?" He was starting to get visibly worried.

  "We can try, but we can't guarantee we'll reach him." Allura told him. 

  "In the meantime, you need to rest." Shiro told him, but Keith looked way too on edge.

  "At least let me eat something first." He said, just now realizing it had been over fourteen days since he'd eaten anything and just how hungry he was.

  He didn't say much when they sat in the dining hall, thinking far too hard. He couldn't get his last interaction with the prince out of his mind, he wanted like an hour or two to think it over, not over two weeks. And even then he didn't get much time to think. That didn't mean he hadn't come to a decision though. 

  Shiro walked with him back to his room, he was still deep in thought and when they reached the door he looked up at him.

  "Shiro, can I talk to you about something?" He asked.

  "Of course." Shiro told him, walking into the room with him. Once the door was closed he looked up at him, the look on his face was serious. It almost worried Shiro what this could be about.

  "Before Zarkon's soldiers took me, Lotor told me something." He said. "I've been thinking about it ever since and I just, Shiro I don't know what to do." He sighed. He sat down on his bed and put his head in his hands, frustrated by all of this.

  "What did he tell you?" Shiro asked gently, sitting down beside him. 

  "He said he  _cared_  about me. Like he... he wanted to  _be_  with me." Shiro had never heard his friend so distraught.

  "Like... romantically?" He asked.

  "Yes! Romantically!" He groaned loudly.

  "What did you say to him?" He asked slowly. 

  "I told him I would think it over, so he left, and that's when everything went downhill. I need to talk to him as soon as possible!" More than anything, he wanted to make sure the prince was  _okay_.

  "So you made your decision then?" He asked him. Keith sighed and nodded, he couldn't even look Shiro in the eye.

  "Yeah, I did... I... Shiro, I feel the same way about him." He said quietly. "After all that time I spent with him, and how he treated me, I knew I could trust him." He waited for Shiro to say something, anything, and when he didn't he finally looked up at him. "Well?" Shiro looked completely lost, sighing and standing up.

  "I... think you should get some rest." He said.

  "I've been in a cryo-pod for three days. I'm pretty well rested." 

  "Just, rest some more. I'll come check on you later, Okay?" He said. Keith sighed and laid down.

  "Alright, Fine." He muttered, and shiro left the room. He thought he was crazy, he had to. Hell, Keith didn't blame him. Maybe he was crazy, to fall in love with the galra prince.

* * *

 

  Shiro had only told Allura, and told her not to tell any of the other Paladins. He didn't understand how Keith could actually be saying this, he hoped it was some weird side effect from the cryo-pod. Allura told Coran, feeling it was something important enough to do so. Coran told Lance, mentioning it without even thinking, and immediately Lance ran to tell Hunk, who told pidge when she walked into the room. It only made sense, Shiro cared and worried a lot about Keith, Allura and the others were all teenagers, very susceptible to gossip, and coran was, Well, coran. 

  By the time Keith had woken up from a well deserved nap and gone to the dining hall for food, all of them knew and all of them were watching him like he'd lost his mind, and it was starting to get on his nerves. Finally, when they were all sat at the table for dinner he asked them,

  "What is the problem?!" It was the first time in a long while he'd been back at the castle, even before the incident with Lotor, he didn't want to spend it being stared at like some sort of alien.

  "Your dumb crush on Lotor is the problem!" Lance blurred out.

  "What?! How do you know about that?!" His face was bright red and he immediately looked to Shiro. "You told  _Lance_  of all people?!"

  "No, I only told Allura." Shiro said. "And I told her not to tell any of the others either."

  "Which I didn't, I only told Coran." She stated, crossing her arms. 

  "Okay, whatever, I don't care who told who." He groaned, running his hands through his hair. 

  "I have to ask though, how did you end up with a crush on  _Lotor_  of all people?" Pidge asked.

  "Yeah, aside from Zarkon, the dudes our biggest enemy." Hunk added.

  "I know, I  _know_." He said. "But, you guys weren't there, he... He was better, he was kind and sweet and gentle." He could hardly believe the words coming out of his mouth, here he was pouring his heart out to them and he really did want to just shut up, but he just kept talking.

  "Okay, so great, we rescued you and now you have a case of Stockholm syndrome." Lance said.

  "It's not Stockholm syndrome! If you guys knew how he treated me you'd understand." He insisted. "He stopped keeping me like a prisoner, he waited until I trusted him before making any advances on me, I mean hell, he gave me my weapon back and let me go wherever I wanted on his ship! He was going to help me contact you guys!" 

  "Keith, you know how the prince is- he's dangerous, and manipulative. You shouldn't trust him." Allura told him. Keith groaned and stood up quickly.

  "I know you aren't going to believe me, but he wasn't manipulating me. He cared about me, I know that for sure." He told them seriously, before turning on his heel and leaving the room. They all watched him go, and a silence hung in the air before Shiro spoke.

  "Do you think he could be telling the truth? That Lotor wasn't manipulating him?"

  "Absolutely not." Allura crossed her arms. "Lotor shouldn't be trusted under any circumstances, and it's upsetting that he broke through to Keith, but I refuse to believe that Lotor is even  _capable_  of caring about someone other than himself."

  "I'm with Allura, there's no way that Lotor just turned around his behavior after hanging out with Keith for a few months."

  "Keith isn't easily fooled though. Lance, did Keith do anything weird when you and Lotor found him?" Shiro asked.

  "He seemed like he didn't want to leave him, I mean he struggled against me trying to get him out of there in favor of going to Lotor. I didn't get it." He said, shaking his head.

  "Lotor must have really messed him up then." Pidge said.

  "I just don't believe that Keith could be manipulated into feeling the way he does about Lotor. I'd understand if it was just trusting him, but he really, really cares for him. I've known him long enough to know he's sincere." Shiro said.

  "Even if Keith truly does care about him, that doesn't mean that Lotor is being truthful, and there's nothing that he could do to convince me otherwise." Allura shook her head.

  "Maybe it will do him some good to be away from Lotor." Lance said, "If we keep him away long enough, maybe he'll finally come to his senses."

* * *

 

  Keith hid out in his room the rest of the night, angry and frustrated and worried. He wasn't exactly mad at the others, he didn't expect them to be okay with it. It was still disappointing though. Then there was the fact that he was so, so worried about Lotor. He tried to tell himself that he had to be okay, he got back safely and everything was okay. But he just felt that something was seriously... wrong. A sinking feeling in his gut that something very, very bad was happening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If y'all are wondering how I've been getting this fic up so fast, I've been working on it since season 4 came out and recently got to the editing bit after typing out every chapter so I've kind of just been editing and posting (Instead of posting on a schedule like a civilized person)


	9. Chapter 9

Almuna knew it was risky, doing this without explicit orders from the emperor. She had lost the kit, which was surely grounds for some sort of punishment, but she hoped that getting the information straight from the source would improve her situation. Besides, the prince _offered_ himself in place of the kit, and well, who was she to turn down an opportunity like that?

  She found that he and the kit were very similar. Strong willed, refusing to give in. She made threats to hunt down his pet again if he didn't give in but they both knew that taking the time to do so would make it known that she lost him in the first place. Still, she couldn't say she _didn't_ get a sense of joy from torturing the prince. Maybe she would continue to prolong it even if he gave her what she wanted. She would have fun breaking him.

* * *

 

Keith tried to get some sleep that night but he found it hard, tossing and turning for a few hours before finally giving up and sitting up in bed. Something had to be wrong, he could feel it. He jumped out of bed, figuring if he could at least get in contact with his ship and see for himself that he was okay, he would be able to rest.

He quietly made his way through the castle, trying to keep himself calm. Just a quick call, that was all it would be, he'd see Lotor, and go back to bed once he was done. It would be fine.

  He had a hard time getting a connection to Lotor's ship, he wondered what was going on. It took him nearly an hour before it went through, he held his breath waiting to see Lotor. It was Axca he saw first, Narti and Ezor at her sides, and Zethrid behind her. He felt like he was a middle schooler trying to call his crush but all four of his scary moms picked up instead.

"I need to speak to Lotor." He told them seriously. "He got back safely, right?" He asked.

  "No, he didn't." Axca said bitterly. "We've been trying to chase down that ship ever since he left to rescue _you_." Keith didn't blame them at all for being mad, he felt his heart sink knowing that Lotor never returned.

  "Are you sure he's still on the same ship?" He asked. He was already making a plan in his head, he had to leave immediately. Lotor gave himself up for _him_ , Keith couldn't just leave him.

  "We're pretty sure." Ezor said. "If not, Lotors screwed." Axca gave her a look but she just shrugged.

  "I'm going to get him then." He said seriously.

  "By yourself?" Zethrid asked. "You're either really brave or really stupid." She said when he nodded in confirmation.

"I've been told it's a little bit of both." He crossed his arms. "I'm leaving as soon as possible, I don't care what it takes, I'm going to get him back."

"Going alone is like a suicide mission, you're going to get yourself killed." Ezor told him.

"Then come with me! I want Lotor back, you want Lotor back, and if it's oh so dangerous, then come with me!" He snapped. The girls looked between each other, seeming to think it over. They went as far to mute themselves so Keith couldn't hear as they discussed this. The longer it took the more irritated he got. Finally, the sound came back and Axca spoke.

"We will send you our coordinates, given that you come alone." She said.

"Trust me, I'm going to be alone."

"Good. Get here quickly then." She said it like a warning, at least Keith took it as one. Either way, he didn't need to be told twice. Once the transmission ended he took off, back to his room to get ready. He moved quickly, throwing on his marmora suit and grabbed his blade before leaving the room.

He went to head straight for the hangars, but slowed to a stop outside of Shiro's room. He was making the same mistakes he made in the first place, specifically not telling anyone where he was going He didn't want hem to worry, but he couldn't risk them trying to follow him or stop him. He knew they wouldn't approve of this, which was fine, he didn't need them to. He took a deep breath, and he kept on going.

* * *

 

He arrived at the ship shortly, and Axca was the one to meet him and fill him in on the plan. Narti, Ezor, and Zethrid were going to go ahead of them and hopefully disable the security system long enough for Axca and Keith to get Lotor out of there. Axca made it very clear that he would not be leaving her sight, and as annoying as it was, he accepted it.

Keith counted about 20 minutes before they contacted Axca to let her know it was safe to come aboard. They were able to sneak onto the ship successfully, and the others had given them an idea of which cell Lotor was being held in- surely it had to be one that had a significant amount of extra security measures- and given them the locations of each cell. The only thing they had to be careful about now the patrolling guards.

"I can't believe Zarkon would allow his own son to be treated like a prisoner..." He murmured as they made their way down the hall. "Like, I now he's bad but... wow, that's bad." He shook his head. Axca glanced at him.

"The prince really hasn't told you much, has she?" She asked.

"No? What am I missing?" He looked at her.

"Nothing. If he wants you to know, he'll tell you." She looked ahead of them again.  Keith shrugged it off and looked ahead too. They had to hope for the best that the first cell they checked would be the right one, but there was no way to be sure. Keith however had a strong feeling they were getting close.

He suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her down  one hallway.

"It's this one, I know it." He said. He didn't have anyway to prove he knew, aside from a strong gut feeling anyway. But hey, when have his instincts ever let him down?

"Are you sure?" Axca asked.

"Positive." He said with a nod. He desperately hoped he was anyway.

* * *

 

Lotor never regretted taking Keith's place.  The only thing he regretted was not slaughtering the commander when he had the chance. This didn't scare Lotor, very little could possibly scare him now, but it made him angry. If they put Keith through anything remotely similar to what they did to him, he wouldn't be able to handle it.

Naturally he had an unpleasant feeling being there, but none of the whippings and beatings and shocks gave him the same feeling of sickness and distress as he suddenly got right then. It was worse than a punch in the gut, only comparable to the fear and panic he felt when he first realized Keith was missing. Something was wrong but he didn't know _what_.

Out of habit he pulled against the chains restraining his wrists, but he knew he'd have no luck. Each pull on the chains resulted in a painful shock from the collar around his neck, causing him to bite back a yell of pain. It angered him more than anything, he was once treated like royalty, he once _was_ royalty, and now he was only a prisoner. He almost laughed at how pathetic it was.

He heard the door slide open and almost flinched, knowing that the door only opened when they were coming to inflict pain on him again. He glanced up through his hair which had fallen in his face, and was surprised to see no guards, no commander Almuna, but Axca and Keith. His eyes went wide as they rushed to his side.

"Axca? Keith? You need to get out of here!" He said immediately. All his pain aside, he didn't want them risking their lives.

"Not without you." Axca said seriously. Keith tried testing the strength of the chains, giving a harsh tug on one of them. They didn't expect the near howl of pain that came from Lotor, each quickly taking a step back. They glanced at each other, trying to understand what was wrong. Lotor had to wait until he caught his breath to tell them.

"These... chains are connected to this collar somehow..." he breathed heavily. "I can't move them without a shock."

"That makes this... ten times more difficult." Keith said. "It's probably the cuffs, not the chains themselves." He looked to Axca who was thinking just as hard as he was.

"If I aim just right I may be able to break them off, which is really our only option." She looked to Lotor, as if asking for permission.

"Do what you must." He said with a sigh, closing his eyes and bracing himself in the event things went wrong. He trusted Axca's aim though, it was a one in a million chance she would miss and blast either his hand off or at least one or two fingers. He heard the blast of the gun and suddenly his right arm was free, falling limply at his side. Keith was at his side in an instant, and when Axca shot the other one off he was there to keep him from falling face first to the floor. The prince hadn't even realized how weak he felt until then.

He opened his eyes and there Keith was, holding him up and looking at him with an awfully worried expression, his violet eyes big and scared. He adored everything about Keith, but hated to see this worried look on his face. Axca instructed him to help her get the prince on his feet and they did so, but Lotor found himself needed to lean on them to avoid falling.

"We should've brought Zethrid with us, she could've carried him." Keith said.

"Absolutely not, I do not need someone to carry me." Lotor said. If he was honest, that did sound preferable with the pain he was in, but he wouldn't admit that.

"Either way, we need to get out of here quickly, we don't have much time left." She said. They helped him out of the cell, the three of them silently praying to get through this without incident.

* * *

 

Thanks to Narti, Ezor, and Zethrid dealing with any patrolling guards while they were freeing Lotor, they made it back on to their ship quickly and safely, and immediately helped the prince into a healing pod. He had insisted that his injuries weren't that serious but they all knew they were. Keith may have dreamed of seeing the prince topless once or twice but these were not the ideal circumstances.

Some of the marks on his body mirrored the ones on Keith's, the lash marks and welts, the marks left from that electric device, bruises and a busted lip. But then there were gashes across his chest and in his side, his hair was tangled and matted with pink Galra blood, and then there was the collar still around his neck they needed to remove when he was finally healed.

Axca has warned him it would be better for him to head back to the castle but the thought of leaving Lotor made him sick with worry. He knew he was going to be alright but leaving him just felt wrong. He'd stay until Lotor was healed, that was it he told himself. Of course, he already knew that was a lie. He didn't want to leave him, he knew he would have to sooner or later but that did stop the fear he felt when thinking about it. He couldn't help but ask himself, when did he get so attached to Lotor anyway?


	10. Chapter 10

Keith waited impatiently by the pod for nearly every moment until Lotor was out. Sometimes he laid on the floor, sometimes he paced the room anxiously. Axca had assured him that Lotor would recover but that didn’t mean he wasn’t still worried. Worried and enraged knowing they hurt Lotor, he knew he cared about him but he didn’t realize just how  _ much  _ he cared until all this. Just thinking about what they did to him made him angry and frustrated, having to sit down and take a few minutes to calm down and relax.

 

When the pod finally did open he was right there, trying to hold up a stumbling, disoriented Lotor before he fell and hurt himself. The prince looked tired and confused until locking eyes with Keith, and a tired smile graced his lips. It was probably the softest, sweetest expression he’d ever seen on him, and it was enough to make all his worries disappear and send his heart pounding in his chest. 

 

“How do you feel…?” He asked him quietly, helping him stand steady on his feet. 

 

“Better… a little stiff, but much better than before.” Lotor told him. He thought this would help relax the other man, but Keith suddenly gripped his arm tighter, giving him a serious look.

 

“Good. Now don’t you  _ ever _ do anything like that again!” He snapped at him. “Do you know how worried I was?! I had no idea what was going to happen to you, I lost sleep because I couldn’t even imagine the situation you were in!” Tears welled up in his eyes as he ranted, which only made him angrier, but the prince listened with that same sweet smile. Finally, he simply pulled Keith into a tight hug, causing him to go quiet real quick. He could sound mad and snap and yell all he wanted, Lotor understand exactly what he meant.

 

“I missed you too, Keith.” He said softly. The paladin slowly wrapped his arms around him and hugged him back.

 

“You scared me you dick…” He said, his voice cracking. He looked up at him, not even caring about the tears sliding down his cheeks. “Why would you do that? You can’t throw your own well-being away for anyone, especially me!”

 

“Keith…” He let go of him and gently placed his hand on his cheek, wiping away a falling tear with his thumb. “I would do  _ anything _ to keep you safe, no matter what the cost is. Your life means so, so much to me.” He told him seriously.

 

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard…” He murmured. “You shouldn’t have risked all that for me…” He felt stupid saying it, here he was scolding Lotor for something he would’ve done himself.

 

“And why not? You’re irreplaceable, little red. I would do everything and more to keep you safe.” Keith couldn’t help but crack a smile hearing that nickname again, his face going bright red.

 

“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t be upset, I would do the same for you in a heartbeat…” 

 

“And I would probably react the same way you are.” Lotor smiled and brushed Keith’s hair out of his face. Keith reached up and rubbed away the last of his tears before taking Lotor’s hand. 

 

“You’re sweet. You’re so sweet.” He said, shaking his head. “I know you probably want to rest by now but… I’m not ready to leave you just yet…”

 

“You’re going to worry your team you know.” The prince smiled.

 

“They’ll… be fine.” He knew he really shouldn’t have left without letting anyone know, and it would probably be a good idea to let them know where he was, but he didn’t particularly care right now.

 

“They must be tired of you taking off by now.” Lotor put his arm around his shoulder, beginning to lead him out of the room. 

 

“I’m sure they are, but I think they can handle at least one more night without me.” He smiled. “I’ll let them know what happened in the morning, I think they’ll understand.” He looked up at him. “Though, shouldn’t you let your generals know you’re out now?” He asked.

 

“I’d rather speak to them after I’ve cleaned up a bit, and done something with all… this.” He motioned to his tangled hair. 

 

“Fair enough.” He shrugged. They went back to Lotor’s room, and while the prince went to go shower, Keith flopped down on his bed, sighing and closing his eyes. He could finally relax without that awful feeling nagging him in the back of his mind, now that he knew the prince was okay and safe.

 

He didn’t sit up until the prince returned, drying his hair and dressed in what Keith was assuming was casual attire for him. He got off the bed and came over to him.

 

“Feel better?” He asked. 

 

“Much better.” Lotor sat down at a vanity table Keith thought was similar to the one in Allura’s room. Keith came to stand behind him, eyeing the mess that was Lotor’s hair. 

 

“Can I brush your hair for you?” He asked. 

 

“If you would like to.” The prince shrugged, handing him a hair brush. Keith started brushing his hair out, careful not to pull too hard. They were silent for a while, before Keith spoke again.

 

“Your hair is real pretty.” He said it without even thinking, though it seemed to take Lotor by surprise, he could see in the mirror the almost flustered look that crossed the prince’s face. 

 

“I- thank you, Keith…” He smiled, glancing away so he wouldn’t have to stare at his own blushing reflection. 

 

“You’re pretty… you’re beautiful really.” Keith spoke slowly, unused to saying these kinds of things to someone. In fact, normally he’d cringe at even the thought of them, but if he was going to be gross and sappy now, he might as well go all the way.

 

“Keith, are you feeling alright?” The prince asked rather quickly. 

 

“I’m fine, Lotor, I just…I almost lost you.” He set the brush down and begin twisting strands of the prince’s hair into thin braids, not even looking at him as he continued to talk. “I almost lost you and I would’ve never told you how I think you’re so, so beautiful, or how the way you talk to me is enough to make me feel so good, or how much I miss you when you’re away… I would’ve never gotten to tell you so I think you should know…” He finally stopped playing with his hair as the prince stood up, turning to face him. Keith could now see that he was blushing like crazy, completely and thoroughly flustered. He took Keith’s hands in his own, looking him in the eye.

 

“You don’t even know the extent of how much I care for you, Little Red.” The prince told him. If Keith hadn’t been an embarrassed, blushing mess before he sure was now. “You’re my universe after all.” Keith wanted to stick his face in a pillow and scream, this was far too much sweet, sappy romance for him to handle, but all he did was grip Lotor’s hands tighter in his own, and tell him,

 

“And you’re mine.”

 

* * *

 

 

Keith thought that leaning up to kiss the prince would be a sweet, innocent act of affection. So when did they end up like this, on his bed, Lotor on top of him, kissing up his neck. Not to say Keith was complaining, complaints were the last thing coming from his mouth. His hands were tangled in the prince’s hair- messing up all his work from just before- and the prince’s hands were roaming his body. He didn’t remember when things got so heated but he sure didn’t care.

 

* * *

 

 

Keith was woken up by Lotor gently shaking him awake. He opened his eyes slowly to see the prince sitting on the edge of the bed, already dressed and hair fixed.

 

“Good morning.” He said, smiling down at him.

 

“Morning.” Keith yawned, tangling himself further in the blankets. He wasn’t at all eager to get out of bed any time soon. 

 

“As expected, your friends came to get you- they’re very worried and would rather see you than take my word for your well-being.” He told him. Keith sighed and sat up, brushing his hair out of his face. 

 

“Alright, I’ll be right there.” He assured him.

 

After getting up and getting dressed he followed the prince to where the other paladins were waiting. Naturally, they were kind of pissed off that he ran off again, and Shiro and Allura were trying to lecture him at the same time. He didn’t argue, he sat there and looked appropriately ashamed for his actions, and when all was said and done, Shiro was the first to pull him into a tight hug, telling him how much he worried them, and the other paladins joined almost immediately. Keith couldn’t help but relax, happy to be with them now that this was all over.

 

When things had calmed down, Allura told them that they needed to speak to Lotor and they were more or less kicked out while Shiro, Allura, and Lotor talked business or whatever they were discussing. Lotor’s generals were kicked out as well so they were all left wondering what was going on. In the end though, all they got out of it was that Lotor was coming back with them- thankfully, not as a prisoner either.


	11. Chapter 11

Keith couldn’t remember the last time he’d been grounded. Coran and Kolivan has been more or less silently elected as the adult authority leaders here, and they decided Keith wasn’t leaving the castle anytime soon unless necessary, and aside from blade missions, it really wasn’t necessary to leave.  
  
He at least had Lotor to keep him company, when he wasn’t trapped in long meetings with Shiro, Allura, and Kolivan that none of the other Paladins were permitted to. Otherwise, they spent a lot of time together, sparring, just wandering the castle, just being together.  
  
They never brought up the conversation they had before Keith had been taken, or what they did the first night they were together again. Lotor never asked, Keith never brought it up, but they only seemed to get closer. When they were together they could hardly keep their hands off each other. They held hands when they walked together, Lotor often kept an arm around him when they sat together, and Keith had taken to frequently leaning against him. It just felt right being close together. They even slept together most nights, despite the fact their rooms were on opposite ends of the castle, Lotor often woke up to find Keith crawling into bed next to him.

He never questioned Keith out loud, just made room for him and held him close. He didn’t particularly mind, he was happy to have the other boy close to him. He snored softly when he slept, and he looked calm and peaceful. Honestly, Lotor found him absolutely adorable.

One night when he crawled into bed, Lotor pulled the blanket over him and pulled him into his arms as usual, smiling as Keith settled down and curled up next to him.

“Goodnight, Little Red…” He murmured, already drifting off back to sleep. Keith shifted in his arms, turning to face him.

“Lotor…” He said quietly. He opened his eyes to look at him, smiling softly until he saw the look on Keith’s face. He looked… scared. Uneasy. After all that had happened it was enough to make him nearly panic.

“Keith? Darling, are you okay?” He sat up, looking down at him. Just earlier that day he had seen him behaving as usual, smiling and laughing as he talked with the black Paladin, bickering stubbornly with the blue Paladin, he’d seemed in a good mood all day. What brought this on? His mind immediately drifted to his constant arguments with the blue Paladin and he worried that maybe that would take a toll on his mood. He was already deciding he would have to have a civil word with Lance when Keith spoke again.

“I… can’t sleep.” He glanced up at Lotor before looking away again.

“Are you not tired? Is something bothering you?” He asked, frowning worriedly.

“No, I mean, I can’t sleep. I can’t let myself fall asleep.” He sighed and sat up too now, running a hand through his messy hair. “It’s just, ever since then it was one thing after another and I had barely any time to rest and now everything’s okay but… it’s not.”

“What do you mean…?” Lotor was confused to say the least, but right now keith needed to be listened to and comforted, so he put his arm around him and pulled him close.

“Every time… every time I close my eyes or try to rest or sleep it’s all I can think about… what they did to me, to you, it won’t leave me alone.” He said. “Every night I fall asleep and have these awful dreams… where I’m… I’m…” he groaned, pulling at his hair with one hand as he couldn’t even finish his sentence.

“Where you’re back there? Suffering through it all over again?” Lotor finished for him. Keith looked up at him and nodded slowly, causing him to sigh and run a hand through the other man’s hair, smirking down the parts sticking up from all of Keith’s pulling. “I know… it’s hard to move on from it and hard to pretend it didn’t happen. It’s going to hurt for some time but… I promise it’ll get better. Like a physical wound it’ll eventually heal and be little more than an ugly scar in the back of your mind.”

“You sound so certain of this… like you’re used to it.” Keith murmured, leaning his head against his chest.

“Oh, I’ve had my run ins with commander Almuna and those like her.” He waved his hand dismissively. “I know their techniques, and I know the effects. The physical attacks may leave scars but the memories are always so much worse, difficult and painful to live with. I’m sure your black Paladin knows about this kind of thing as well.” He saw him frown at the mention of the pain his friend went through and immediately wished he hadn’t brought it up, ready to apologize when Keith spoke up again.

“Then how did you handle it? Do you still have these dreams and this fear and panic at the smallest things?”

“Well… of course.” He couldn’t lie to him, sometimes things would come back to haunt him, and sometimes it did hurt. “I don’t think anybody can ever truly forget or ignore the things they’ve gone through. I’ve just had more time to cope with it. That’s what you need, Keith, time and support.”

“I don’t want to tell them. They know it was bad but they don’t know how bad, And aside from Shiro I don’t think I could tell them… anyone…” he knew Keith didn’t like to be vulnerable, showing that side to just anyone was completely off limits for him.

“I think you’re friends will understand.” He said gently. If his generals could understand, coming from a place of friendship and trusting and not authority, then he was sure the other Paladins could. “And you know, I’ll always be here for you, Little Red.” He was relieved to see Keith’s smile, and feel him relax against him.

“Thank you, Lotor.” He said quietly.

“Anything for you.” The prince leaned down and gave him a kiss on the top of his head, momentarily holding him close with his face in his hair, embracing the familiar and welcome smell of his Keith. His Keith, here on this castle, safe in his arms, right where he should be. The smaller man let out a yawn and Lotor pulled him back into a lying position, laying down next to him. “It’s late now, try to get some sleep.” He told him. “If you have any nightmares, I promise I’ll be right here.” Keith smiled and pressed himself up against the prince, closing his eyes and relaxing.

“You always do make me feel safe.” He said softly.

* * *

 

Counting the days, Lotor had been there roughly two weeks. He was easily warming up to the other Paladins, and they seemed to have warmed up to him. Pidge frequently bugged him about Galra tech, and he didn’t mind sitting for a few hours and explaining what he knew. Sometimes he would find himself helping Hunk in the kitchen, who was definitely still wary of him but kind and accepting of any help Lotor offered. Lance had eventually interrogated him about how he got his hair to be like that- and was disappointed when Lotor didn’t have much to tell him since there wasn’t anything special he did. He wasn’t one to spend too much time on his looks, despite popular belief, but that didn’t stop Lance from listing off all sorts of things he should be doing.

His interactions with Allura and Shiro were often limited to the more serious discussions, but he did find time with Allura to talk about their Altean heritage, one she grew up with and one he knew so little about. Shiro on the other hand, he did not see often outside of that. If anything he thought the man was avoiding him, but he understood any distrust or discomfort from him, so he kept his distance and only approached him if necessary. This would explain his surprise when the black Paladin caught him alone, and rather than ignore his presence, actually initiated the conversation first. Lotor would’ve much preferred this happen at any point during the day, and not at an odd hour of the night when he was rummaging through the kitchen. He likes to maintain some sense of dignity.

“Lotor, can I talk to you?” The man asked, flipping on the light and startling the prince, causing him to turn around quickly to face him.

“Shiro? Of course, what about?” He asked, turning slightly so he could set all the food items he’d gathered on to the counter.

“It’s about Keith.” He leaned against the wall near the door, pretty much across the room from Lotor.

“What about him…?” He couldn’t help but be a tad bit worried, Keith had been gone the past few days on a mission with the Blades, and the anxiety had been eating at him nearly every moment.

“It’s just… he likes you alot you know. He seems to trust you so I trust you too.” He said.

“That’s good to know. I know he’s very close to you and your approval matters a lot to him.” He wasn’t entirely sure where this was going, but it didn’t seem too bad. At the very least, they were talking, and it was civil. Still, he did wish Keith were here now. He watched as Shiro sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.

“All I’m asking is, don’t hurt him. For his sake and your own, don’t do anything to hurt him.” He said seriously.

“I would never hurt Keith, I couldn’t if I wanted to.” Lotor couldn’t help but be a bit defensive. He understood any mistrust of his intentions but he cared so much for Keith, it felt like an insult to be implied that he might hurt him in someway.

“Good.” The man said, standing up straight again. “Because if you do anything to break that boy’s heart, you’ll have all of Voltron to answer to.” And with that, he exited the room, leaving Lotor with that simple warning. Normally Lotor didn’t take well to any kind of threats, but he could appreciate someone who seemed to care for Keith just as much as he did.

* * *

 

It had been about six weeks Lotor had been with them. At some point his generals were allowed as well, though Allura wanted strict supervision over all of them. Keith, he was just happy to see Lotor happy. He didn’t know much about his relationship with the girls, but he could tell they were close, and they trusted one another, and seeing how naturally Lotor could act around them was enough to make Keith smile.

They hadn’t had too much time together as of late, between serious meetings and missions for both Voltron and the blades, they were separated often, even more so when Keith had started staying at the base again. Sometimes they were able to get a call through to each other, but usually Keith was surrounded by so many other Galra they could never really be alone. That wasn’t such a problem when he talked to Shiro or any of the others, but he liked being alone with Lotor, he wanted to be alone with Lotor.

When he came back for a visit it felt like a well needed vacation almost. For someone so used to being alone, he found it got exhausting to be away from the people he cared about for too long. Sure he cared about the other blades, even formed friendships with some of them, but there wasn’t a bond as close to the one he had with the Paladins. Spending time with them helped him relax, and when he arrived and was almost immediately pulled into a suffocating group hug, he couldn’t help but feel home.

After the customary greetings, rambling from multiple people at once, and big refreshing dinner, they went their separate ways. Keith wanted to talk to Lotor, but not yet, not when everyone else was still up and about to possibly interrupt them. He waited until everyone had turned in for the night before going to Lotor’s room, softly knocking on the door. Only moments later the prince answered and it took Keith a lot to hold back from throwing his arms around him right away.

“Good evening, Little Red…” The prince smiled softly at him, looking him over.

“Are you busy?” He asked him, naturally reaching for his hand.

“I’m never too busy for you.” He said, taking his hand.

“I’d… like to show you something then.” He told him. Lotor looked curious as he stepped out of the room, allowing Keith to lead him through the castle. He’d waited a while to do this, in all honesty he wanted to do this since they first got back. He took him to a part of the castle that generally went unused, but had a large window spanning the room, with a window seat to go with it. He liked spending time there alone, but he liked the thought of just him and Lotor being there too.

They sat down together, Keith keeping an unusual bit of space between them. He was sure it was obvious he had something on his mind, but the prince didn’t pry, simply gazed out the window. There was a long silence between them, and Lotor spoke first.

“Do you remember what I told you when we first met? When I said you were absolutely hideous?” He asked. Keith couldn’t help but snicker.

“How could I forget something so charming?” He said sarcastically. Lotor gently took his chin, tilting his head up so their eyes met.

“I lied, you know. Truthfully, you’re the single most beautiful creature I’ve ever met.” The prince told him, voice soft and sincere. Keith couldn’t stop the blush rising to his face. He pulled back from him, quickly hiding his face in his hands, grinning widely.

“You… are too much…” When he finally looked back up at the prince, he took his hands, smiling at him. “Lotor… we, we never talked about everything… after you confessed, after we were together again…”

“To be honest I was never sure how to approach it…” Lotor told him. “It is important though, and I want to know for sure how you feel, Keith. If you’re at all unsure or uncomfortable or unhappy, please, tell me.” He said seriously.

“Lotor, I was stupid.” He said simply, squeezing his hands. “When I told you I was unsure and that I had to think about it, I was so so stupid, because I knew how I felt then, and I know how I feel now.” He’d has more than enough time to think it over, It’s possible he’d made up his mind before the question was even asked. “I want to be with you, Lotor. I know there’s a war going on and I know things are crazy right now but… I think we can still make it work.” The prince smiled at him, leaning down so they were closer to eye level with each other.

“I know we can make it work, Little Red.”

And as he pulled him close, and their lips met, Keith knew for sure this was the only right decision.

 

 

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say I’m soooo sorry for taking so long to finish this up _(:3 」∠)_  
> Schools been wild with prom and senior trip and graduation coming up so i haven’t had very much time to work on it.  
> That being said, I really hope you guys enjoyed this fic, it’s the longest multi chapter fic I’ve written yet, and I’m really happy with how it came out! Thank you so much to everyone whose read it and everyone whose commented, I’m so happy to add to the small amount of keitor fic there is in this fandom （╹◡╹）


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